Planning commission recommends PUD for cruise‑ship parking on 4‑acre site, adds landscaping condition

The planning commission voted to recommend approval of a planned unit development (PUD) overlay that would allow indoor and outdoor cruise‑ship parking and electric vehicle charging on a roughly four‑acre site bounded by 40th Avenue and Avenue G. The recommendation passed 5–1 and included an amendment requiring right‑of‑way landscaping along Avenue G.

Staff recommended denial, saying the proposed uses do not conform to the approval criteria for the Urban Neighborhood (UN) zoning district adopted in 2015. Staff wrote that the parcel’s proposed uses, plus requests to eliminate interior landscaping and perimeter screening, were inconsistent with the long‑range goal of transitioning the area from industrial to walkable neighborhoods. Fire Marshal Chris Harrison raised operational concerns about means of egress, fire department access and hydrant distribution, noting several water distribution and access issues would need to be resolved before building permits could be issued.

Michael Gertner, the project architect and applicant representative, urged the commission to consider the site’s existing industrial character and the local demand for cruise parking. “We are not trying to change the character of a neighborhood. We’re acknowledging the character that’s there already,” Gertner told commissioners, describing a plan that would preserve an existing masonry wall where structurally feasible, provide covered parking, and add street trees along the south side and Avenue G. He said the site could yield several hundred spaces (he estimated between 450 and 500) and that cruise parking generates a steady revenue stream to the city and port; he cited municipal code revenues paid to the city for cruise‑parking activity.

Fire Marshal Chris Harrison summarized fire‑safety questions: “They are physically there, but we don't know whether or not they work,” he said of hydrants near the site, and he explained that the city would require functioning hydrants and adequate distribution and that enclosed parking structures would require full sprinkler systems. Harrison and staff said the developer must coordinate hydrant testing or upgrades and other right‑of‑way improvements with Public Works before building permits would be approved.

Commissioners debated compatibility with the 2015 Urban Neighborhood zoning and whether the area’s long‑range vision remained realistic. Supporters said the site’s industrial pattern and the city’s growing cruise industry make the proposal a practical reuse; opponents warned that a large surface parking use could preclude more intensive residential or mixed‑use redevelopment over time. Commissioners ultimately modified staff’s recommendation by adding a specific condition: right‑of‑way landscaping along Avenue G from 40th to 40th‑8th Street (the commission recorded a motion amendment requiring planting and right‑of‑way improvements), and the commission emphasized that pavement, hydrant and utility upgrades would be developer responsibilities in coordination with city departments.

The commission’s recommendation — including the Avenue G landscaping amendment — will be forwarded to City Council for final action on Aug. 28. Staff noted standard language in the conditions: public infrastructure improvements and any necessary engineering studies (including any required hydrology/H&H study) must be completed or guaranteed by the developer before issuance of building permits.

Ending: The planning commission’s vote (5–1) forwards the PUD to City Council with a recommendation to approve subject to the landscaping amendment and the developer’s responsibility for right‑of‑way and hydrant improvements; staff will continue coordination between the applicant, Public Works and Fire Marshal staff prior to the council hearing.